Boots digital processing - contrasty/dark prints?

Anorakus

Anorakus

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I've decided to get some of my best pics framed and mounted to decorate the house, so I sent in some Jpegs to Boots to get 9"x6" prints made up.

Having never used a digital print service, I wasn't sure what to expect...

Just got the prints back this morning. Unfortunately they're excessively dark and contrasty. I've mounted them for the meantime, but I'm sure that I can get better results.

I had tweaked the shots in Photoshop CS3 - a couple of them I converted to Duotone and another I put through a bleach bypass simulation filter - but the results looked fine on screen. The prints by comparison have lost loads of shadow detail. I would have scanned them in and uploaded them, but you could get the same effect by turning the brightness down :)

Are there any obvious pitfalls I should be aware of when using Photoshop to create Jpegs from RAW files for getting made into prints? My pics looked fine on my laptop (no it isn't calibrated!) I've kept all settings at the default - and I realise that there are loads of variables that could affect the final result.

I'm wondering if I'd get better results from a pro service. Having said that, I've seen prints from Boots that were taken on basic point'n'shoot digital compacts, and they look fine.

Thanks for any tips

A.
 
Problem is what you see on screen may not be what the images are actually like. If your monitor is too bright for example you'll get a false idea of how the print might look.
 
What colour profile are you using - I would imagine somewhere like Boots would expect sRGB.

Why not post one of the original images here to see if looks OK on other people's screens.
 
Good idea - here's one:

2739381128_af95f0e429_o.jpg


I reduced the saturation and applied the Red Paw Media bleach bypass filter.

On my monitor, I can see detail on the kid's black jacket. On the print, the whole of his jacket - back and sleeves - is completely black. No detail at all.

A.
 
I didnt notice the bloke until I re read the post, no detail on his jacket at all.
 
On my monitor the whites are white, which tells me it's ok, but there is a lot of very dark greys and blacks in that shot.

/edit I can see a fair bit of detail in his jacket but much of it is black.
 
Looks OK on my screen, I can see detail in the sleeves and back of his jacket. But you do have remember that a screen is backlit and is always going to be brighter than a print.

You should have had some detail in the print though, especially the sleeves
 
whenever i print shots i increase the brightness in photoshop by +30 and that gives a print that quite closely matches the screen.

may be worth editing one photo to several different brightness levels and having them printed to see which come out best
 
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